Friday, January 13, 2012

Paul & Joe Lip Gloss in Maraschino

If Paul and Joe Lip Gloss in Maraschino is not a glossy perfection, I am not sure what is. First, it comes in a color that I never hate (cherry red), with an added dose of sparkle peeking through. Then there is their signature chrysanthemum relief on both the tube and the lid, a classy and playful design that will put a smile on your face every time you take it out. The name of the gloss can't be more fitting as Maraschino is a liquor (I consider myself a budding alcoholic, although I drink it like a sissy: adding lots of ice and soda...) flavored with Marasca cherries native to Croatia (the origin of my high school locker boy/cellphone background.) . If the food-inspired name is not enough for you, the gloss is also name as 08, aka every Chinese's lucky number... How can I not fall for it?

Among my shimmery sheer reds - Revlon Strawberry, Milani In Vogue, Maybelline Red Patent and Paul & Joe, Maraschino is somewhat sheer in the bunch (at least it fares better than Red Patent) but it has an amazing texture for a jelly: It's soft to the touch, easy to glide, shiny-but-not-too-glassy, plush, moisturizing and not sticky at all- An unique formula among the hundreds of glosses I have tried. I can't pin-point what it smells like but the fragrance is soft, baked-sweet-like and very easy on the nose.

I have never mentioned it in my older Paul & Gloss review but I really love their "fancy" brush applicator (I rarely see built-in applicator with a soft gold ferrule). The brush picks up and hold just the right amount of product and the narrow tip and resilient bristles make it easy to to maneuver. Anyway, it's funny that I like most of their build-in applicator and freebie brush but hate actual makeup brushes/makeup tools (they just feel quite flimsy for how much they cost).

Lip Swatch of Paul & Joe Gloss in Maraschino - To my surprise, the watery-jelly shine actually stays on for at least an hour on the lip (which is rare for watery gloss like this). Overall: While it doesn't give any visual impact, I love it as a everyday basic since it wears so comfortably, looks/smells so good and stays jelly-glossy for so long.

I don't have any Paul and Joe because they are so expensive! All the reviews I have ever seen for them are good, so I would love to try some things, but just can't pay those high prices. Do you pay full price, or have somewhere you get them on sale or clearance? (I'm on a tight budget, so I stick to drugstore, and just check reviews to make sure I get good value even for cheap.)

I wait for sales and clearance at the end of each season as well as those 20% code from beauty habit (I believe some Paul & Joe holiday/summer 2011 glosses are on sale at Urban Outfitters website at the moment) and sometime look at amazon, they will shave off 20-50% of their normal retails. The after-sale price is probably still not drugstore cheap but I think they are well worth it for their performance.

Anyway, when it comes to high-end, I pick products that are worth it, like squeegee gloss with big volume or powder blushes that generally last forever.